James Clark Parks Jr.

James Clark Parks Jr grew up in Missouri, the only child of James Sr and Esther Smith. His dad worked for Missouri Power, and his mom was a teacher. A child of The Great Depression, Jim was an extremely practical and determined man who thrived in his career and retirement. Constant throughout Jim's life: he didn't like to waste time, and he loved to have fun. He left his high school in Brookfield to attend Mizzou, where a lackluster start was interrupted by a call to the Army. Jim served during the Korean War, an experience which gave him a great deal of discipline and a lifelong aversion to camping. Mizzou called again; he earned a Masters in Chemical Engineering and married the love of his life, Shirley Belle Thogmartin. He was a career company man, working at Monsanto in Clear Lake, Texas, where his only child Jay was born. Although Jim traveled the world building production plants in South America, Europe and Asia, he also found time to coach his son's little league teams. After retiring from Monsanto, he founded Partec, an enterprising company that employed many of his retired colleagues. Jim and Shirley followed their passions into retirement; they loved golfing and traveling. A move to Starr Pass Golf Resort in Tucson provided some of the best years of his life. He traveled extensively during summer months and played golf all winter. He loved to socialize and throw parties at his dream home on the 6th green, and they were able to take long trips to many exotic locations. After the grandkids arrived, they eventually relocated to Boise, where he could be seen supporting his grandchildren at every event. He generously shared his love of travel with his grandchildren, taking them to Maui every year. He started slowing down after a cancer diagnosis, but his indomitable spirit gave him 10 more years, which saw him attacking his bucket list, driving the Alaskan highway and taking a cruise to Cuba. Indeed, just two weeks ago, he was excitedly talking about his next cruise. Jim volunteered at The Warhawk Museum, satisfying his passion for WWII and honoring his uncle Floyd Parks, a Naval Aviator killed defending Midway. Jim lost Shirley five years ago. Since that time, he has dedicated himself to his lifelong love of dining out. We would like to thank Suzy at Jim's favorite restaurant for always having a seat for him. He left this world peacefully and is survived his son Jay Parks, daughter-in-law Sandra Parks, granddaughter Avery Parks, and grandson Ryan Parks.